Richard Bidlack will present the Martin and Brooke Stein Professorship lecture on March 18th at 4:30 in Northen Auditorium. The title of the lecture is “The Leningrad Blockade and Why It Matters." Discussed will be the nearly 900-day blockade of Leningrad by German and Finnish armies during the Second World War resulted in the death of close to one million Leningraders. Based on his extensive research in formerly top-secret Soviet documents, Professor Bidlack will explore several topics, including the tense relationship that existed between Stalin and Leningrad’s political bosses, how ordinary Leningraders tried to endure hunger and extreme cold, as well as how the populace regarded their political leaders and the enemy. He will also show how the blockade history affected post-war Soviet life and politics and has helped shape President Putin’s portrayal of Russia and its place in the world.